Desk pad



United States Patent 3,105,495 DESK PAD Arthur J. Heycr, Oak Park, 111., assignor to Heyer Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Filed J an. 29, 1969, Ser- No. 5,489 1 Claim. (Cl. 129-35) The present invention relates to a desk pad.

The invention relates more particularly to a desk pad of the general character which includes a main member which serves as a binder or holder and a stack of loose papers or leaves releasably held in the binder and which are easily removable singly therefrom, whereby the top paper or leaf thereof may be easily and quickly removed, pursuant to writing thereon.

A broad object of the invention is to provide a desk pad of the foregoing character of novel construction.

A more specific object is to provide a desk pad of the general character referred to above in which the main member or binder has a folded portion for receiving one run of the elastic band for retaining the elastic band in place, but which has such novel construction that the elastic band is placed in only one such fold as contrasted with a plurality of such folds in the forms heretofore known with consequent greater simplicity and economy in the manufacture thereof.

Another object is to provide a desk pad of the character referred to which includes an elastic band as a means for aiding in retaining the loose papers in place which is arranged in a novel manner so as to be nearly concealed as viewed from the top when the pad is lying on a supporting surface, but which is exposed on the undersurface for frictionally engaging the supporting surface and thereby resisting undesired sliding movements on that supporting surface.

Another object is to provide a desk pad of the foregoing general character having a backing member underlying the stack of papers therein of such size as to underlie all of the area of the stack of papers whereby to provide protection for the papers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description taken'in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan View of a blank which is folded to form the main member or binder in which the stack of papers is to be releasably bound;

FIG. 2 is an edge view of the lefthand portion of the blank of FIG. 1, being taken on line 2-2 of that figure;

FIG. 3 is an edge view of the complete pad, including the blank of FIG. 1 folded into final position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the completed pad of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the pad;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 4, on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 7 is a view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates in plan view a blank indicated at 12 which constitutes the main member or binder of the pad. This blank 12 is preferably a paper product and may be a relatively light gauge paper or heavier cardboard-type paper, if desired, but in the interests of producing an inexpensive pad and in view of the fact that a relatively light gauge paper will sufiice for the purpose, the latter paper may be preferred. This blank is of generally rectangular shape and has what may for convenience be referred to as a top portion 14 having certain structural features utilized in forming the pad as described more fully hereinbelow. This portion 14 includes three score lines 16, 18 and 20 extending transversely across the blank, formed by any suitable and known process for the 3,i@5,45 Patented Oct. 1, 1963 P ce purpose of weakening the blank at these locations for facilitating folding it into the binder. These score lines are also shown in FIG. 2 which is of relatively large scale and which shows the reduced thickness of the material at the score lines.

The score lines 16, 18 and 20 thus provide segments or portions designated 22, 24 and 26 between or adjacent the respective lines which in the completed pad are disposed out of the plane of the remaining and main portion of the blank. The latter portion of the blank designated 23 remains in the plane of the original entire blank and forms a backing element or sheet for the stack of papers or leaves included in the completed pad.

The blank 12 is provided with pairs of notches 30 and 32 respectively, those of each pair being aligned transversely of the blank. These notches are for the purpose of receiving the elastic band or rubber band referred to above and identified at 34 in FIG. 3 and other figures.

The completed pad includes in addition to the main member or blank 12 and the elastic band 34, a stack of papers shown at 36 in FIG. 3 and other figures.

In the formation of the pad the blank 12 after being provided with the score lines 16, 18, 2t) and the notches 3t), 32, is folded to the shape of FIG. 3, this shape being more clearly illustrated in larger scale in FIG. 6. More specifically, the portion 22 forming a turned-under portion in the completed pad, is folded on the score line 16 to a position superimposed over the portion 24 which forms a front portion in the completed pad. These two portions, which together form a front leaf in the completed pad, are folded along the score line 18 to a position substantially perpendicular to the portion 26. The three portions 22, 24 and 26 together and in their relatively right angle position, are folded about the third score line 20 through of movement to a position in which the portion 26 is substantially perpendicular to the main backing portion 28, and the two portions 22 and 24 are substantially parallel to the portion 28.

The elastic band 34 is placed in the position illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6 wherein one of the runs designated 34a is disposed between the portions 22 and 24 and the other run designated 34b is disposed under the main backing portion 28. The stack of papers 36 is placed in assembly by inserting a top edge portion thereof between the folded portion 22 and the main backing portion 28 and moving them preferably to a tight-fitting position in which the papers engage the portion 26 of the blank which serves as a limit element for this purpose. It will be appreciated that the proportions of the various elements in FIG. 6 are exaggerated, this being for the purpose of more clearly bringing out the relations between the various elements and the details of construction thereof. The proportions between the various elements need not be exact, but it is preferred, of course, that the binding portion of the pad be of relatively small dimension as considered longitudinally of the blank, the binding portion including the portions 22, 24 and 26, and that portion of the main backing member between the score line 20 and the notches 32. The proportions of the various portions of the pad may be substantially as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

When the various elements in the binding portion 14 of the blank are folded to the positions just described, the notches 30 are in register with the notches 32 considered vertically of the pad, -i.e., in the direction of the depth of the pad. The elastic band 36 fits into these notches and is thereby held against displacement along the linear direction of the blank in the completed pad. The registered relation of the notches is shown in FIG. 7, in exaggerated detail. These notches may be of any convenient depth so that the elastic band may or may not engage the pad of papers as desired, the blank 12 preferably being of slightly greater dimension than the stack of papers as indin3 cated in FIGS. 4 and 5 for providing a degree of protection for the latter. Any tendency to curl or dog ear of the papers is expended on the blank or backing member and such effects on the paper of stack 36 are minimized. This phenomenon may be manifested mostly at the bottom corners of the pad, namely, those corners disposed at the right of FIGS. 1, 4 and 5. However, a similar result may be achieved with relation to the edges of the papers.

In the use of the pad, it is laid on a supporting surface such as a desk and in this position the under run 34b of the elastic band engages the desk top. Such an elastic band or rubber :band provides a high degree of friction and therefore greatly resists sliding movement of the pad on the desk as is of course desired in writing thereon.

The backing portion 28 of the blank 12 provides a full backing protection for the entire area of the papers, but the invention is not to be construed as limited to a backing element as large as the stack of papers, since the invention in its broader aspects includes the arrangement of the elastic band and its incorporation with the binding portion 14 of the blank, that is, the upper run 34a of the elastic band is concealed and out of view, and the lower run 34b While exposed to the exterior of the pad, is normally out of view when the pad is lying on the desk. The only portions of the elastic band that are normally in view when the pad is lying in its proper position on the desk are the short portions or lengths at the sides of the pad connecting the upper and lower runs. This construction wherein only a single run (34a) of the elastic band is contained within a fold, while the other one is disposed to the exterior of the pad, results in an extremely simple and inexpensive pad from the standpoint of fabricating costs.

While I have illustrated herein a preferred form of the invention, it will :be understood that changes may be made therein within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A pad of the character disclosed, comprising a main member having a single thickness backing portion adapted for engaging a surface supporting the pad throughout its own area, an end portion at a top edge of the backing portion folded upwardly therefrom and a front leaf folded downwardly from the end portion and thus folded over the upper surface of the backing portion, the front leaf having 5 a front portion and a turned-under portion disposed between the front portion and backing portion, said turnedunder portion having a free edge forming the terminal edge of the front leaf and thus of the main member positioned under said front portion, a stack of loose papers of uniform size having a top edge portion disposed between the front leaf and backing portion and resting on the backing portion, a rubber band surrounding the turned-under portion, the loose papers, and the backing portion, with a run interposed and concealed between the front portion 15 and turned-under portion and another run under the backing portion and exposed for engaging the surface supporting the pad, said main member being slightly Wider than the loose papers, said front leaf having notches cut in opposite side edges adjacent the juncture of the front portion and turned-under portion, and the backing portion having notches cut in its opposite side edges in vertical re ister with the respective first-mentioned notches, the distance between points of maximum penetration of said opposite notches being less than the width of said loose papers, said notches receiving the rubber band therein whereby said rubber band holds the turned-under portion in tension against said papers, frictionally engages the edges of said loose papers, and frictionally engages the surface on which said pad rests.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

